Dr Moynihan Conducts a Study Examining the Relationship Between the Number

Essay

Dr. Moynihan conducts a study examining the relationship between the number of panic attacks a person experienced in the past month, the number of nightmares experienced in the past month, and people's levels of neuroticism (a personality trait characterized by instability, anxiety, and worry). She collects a convenience sample of 50 community college students (25 males, 25 females). Below are her findings.
•A (number of panic attacks in the past month and neuroticism): r =.03, not sig.
•B (number of panic attacks in the past month and number of nightmares in the past month): r =.14 (p = .05)
•C (number of nightmares in the past month and neuroticism): r = .48 (p = .003).
Examining Dr. Moynihan's study and using the three criteria of causation, why can she not say that the number of panic attacks in the past month causes one to have fewer nightmares in the same month?